What does antidemocratic mean?
Antidemocratic is an adjective used to describe anything that opposes, undermines, or works against the principles of democracy — including majority rule, free elections, equal participation, and accountable government. It applies both to concrete things, such as laws, policies, coups, or institutions that concentrate power unduly, and to people or movements whose beliefs are hostile to democratic governance. The word carries a strongly negative connotation in most modern usage, appearing frequently in political journalism, legal argument, and historical analysis when writers want to condemn a measure as a threat to popular self-government. It derives from the Greek roots 'anti-' (against) and 'demos' (the people), combined with '-cratic', relating to rule or governance. Closely related to but slightly stronger than 'undemocratic', it implies active opposition rather than mere absence of democratic character.
adjectiveOpposed to or acting against the principles of democracy, such as majority rule, equal participation, or accountable government.
- Describing actions, policies, institutions, or attitudes that oppose or undermine democratic principles and processes.
- Describing a person who holds views hostile to democratic government.
"Critics condemned the emergency decree as an antidemocratic power grab."
"The court struck down the law as an antidemocratic attempt to silence opposition parties."
"Historians described the general as openly antidemocratic, favoring rule by a strongman elite."
The prefix 'anti-' turns a word about people-power into its opposite — 'antidemocratic' literally means fighting the very idea of rule by the people.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antidemocratic
Antidemocratic combines the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' (against) with 'democratic', which itself traces back through French 'démocratique' to Greek 'dēmokratikos', from 'dēmos' (the people) and 'kratos' (power, rule). Democracy as a term entered English via French from ancient Greek in the 16th century, and words like antidemocratic formed later by attaching the 'anti-' prefix to express opposition to it. Words sharing the same root include demotic, demagogue, and endemic, all built on 'dēmos'.
Related word forms
How antidemocratic is actually used
Formal to neutral register; common in political journalism, commentary, and academic writing. It carries a strongly negative connotation in most contexts, so it is often used evaluatively rather than neutrally.
Easily confused with antidemocratic
The two are near-synonyms, but 'undemocratic' simply describes something lacking democratic qualities, while 'antidemocratic' implies active opposition to democracy itself.